Ever After
by SirenTemptress
Summary: The start of the Volturi Saga. Athenodora is not a vampire nor human or any other being from the Twilight Saga and is instaed my own type of immortal being. Hope you like it a please review otherwise I will not update! xxxxx
1. Chapter 1

**Ever After**

**Prologue**

One night, in a small Italian village where the winter frost coated the ground in a glimmering veil, a women lay in a barn with her two children. Having ran away form an abusive uncle, she had taking every penny that belonged to her and her children, evry item of clothing they could carry and every amount of food they could take after that. The women knew that it would seem unusal for a women of her stature, look and class to remain unmarried, but she couldn't risk bringing her soul partner's last treasure into that world.

The women knew that, if she were to pass on to the next life, that her two oldest children would protect the little treasure, raise it , dress it, love it. The reason as to why this child would be such a treasure would be because it was the second child this women would deliver during the mysterious night belonging to the blue moon. The mystical being that would gift such a child with the needed power to make the world hole again, as well as such a child with the beauty and elagance of a feather dancing on the wind.

She currently had two jewels, as her people called them, a boy and a girl. She loved them with all the love that she could give them. The women could not love another like she did her soul partner, the one man made for. Yet she knew that society thought with a very different mind, nit favouring anyone, nor hating anyone. A perfect neutral, a perfect balance.

Her son, and eldest child, was a perfect young man. Gifted by her superiors with eternal life, so that he could protect his more delicate sister, he was otherwise quite ordinary. He would age till he was twenty five, the prime of a man in any centuary to come. He was as strong as a boy the age of seven should be, he had his mother's blonde hair, his father's green eyes. He was a son of Water and Earth, the protector of women and the lover of life.

His name was Bastien. **(AN: pronounced Bas-tee-en)**

Her daughter, soon to be the middle child, was everyone's vision of beuty. Or atleast, she was at that time. Born with the ability to not age past twenty one, she had blonde hair the texture of the finest silk threads and eyes as clear a blue as the of a blue topaz stone. Her skin was as a soft and as unblemished as porcelin. She was quiet and perfectly mannered as a princess, although her present class was not that high up. She was a daughter of Water and Air, the symbol of purity and she was gifted by a Greek Goddess.

Her name was Aphrodita. **(AN: Pronounced Aphro-dee-ta)**

Their mother was the most beautiful women in the village. Her golden hair swept so softly iaway from her face, hr pale blue eyes glisstning as if they were some form of tinted precious stone-polished to perfection. Her skin was the creamy yet flecked with gold. Many men described this women as the perfect angel. Yet, she had no time to compete for the feelings of men, she was a mother after all. She also knew that she would marry again, she may even feel some form of love, but she would never feel the same way she did about her Romeo, her entaranced warroior, the man who should be here to protect her family. She was a daughter of Water and a women high in position of her Mistress's court. She was the personifcation of beauty and love, trust and desire.

Little did she know that this new and precious treasur,e that she had carried for the past nine months, would be one of the most loved, feared and cherised member her people.

Her name was Serapheena (AN:pronounced Sera-feen-na, and she was the much loved mother of Athenodora Volturi.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1-Forget Me Not

18 years later-1678, England

Athenodora's POV

The last eighteen years of my life had been tiring. My mother, Serapheena, had remarried a nasty man. You would think that the man who owned the barn where you hid in order to give birth to one of the most desired children in the world of immortals who heard a womens pain filled cries wouldn't act the way he did. Master Henri didn't believe in women being educated in anything except music, art, dance and sewing. Not to mention the cooking and cleaning, but as he put it, 'We have other women who do that". No matter what happened, I was the little second born girl who had even less influence then my older sister-pratically nothing. I was the less desirable, the spar, the copy in his eyes.

Little did he know that I was more powerful then any other of my kind.

Henri never liked me, never had and never will. It was all about my older siblings. Bastien was a master swordsman, he could beat any opponent, even King Charles II. My sister, Aphrodita, was still the quiet, harmless girl she has ever been. Aphrodita hates swordplay or any other way that someone can get harmed or dirty. My mother, Serapheena, payed more attention to me then anyone, though. She called me her 'special one' and said that I was going to be the one to live, the one to make a change, the one who would show the world her worth to it.

Master Henri,as he made us call him due to status purposes, cared about everyone except me. He cared little about what I did, as long as I obeyed his rules and stayed out of the way. Although, my mother had secretly payed for me to be tutored in debate and justice, the art of making decisions that could effect noone and everyone.

It's unusual for a girl my age, eighteen none the less, to be unmarried and without issue. Aphrodita had been married for five years now, Bastien seven. Neither of them enjoyed it. Aphrodita's husband was fifteen years older then her, he also beat her if she dared to even have a hair out of place. Bastien's wife was young and cruel. She was even younger then me! Elizabeth Harlock, whenever she visited, would look down her nose at my mother and I. I was ok about her doing it to me, but my mother! Just because she had been married twice and had bore no child of Master Henri, it does not give Elizabeth the write to treat her as scum.

Yet today, my mother wasgoing to surprise me...

"Athenodora!" She called in her Italian accent, "Athenodora!"

My mother is Italian and my father was Greek, noit that you could tell by looking at me or my siblings. The three of us where all quite pale and we all had blonde hair and blue eyes.

I then ran into the family room to stop and curtsey at my mother's feet, lifting the hem of my dress slightly so that it didn't pool on the floor.

"You've been invited to attend court as one of Queen Catherine's Lady's in waiting"

I was speechless, and my mother could see the look of surprise on my face.

"But why me?" I asked my mother.

"King Charles said that you are a well educated women who deserves more than to be stranded here at Bouvall **(pronounced: Boo-val) **Manor." She replied.

But I was the extra, wasn't I? That was all I was. Sure I was told that I was beautiful and intelligent, but I'm also eighteen and the second born daughter. All of Queen Catherine's ladies in waitiing are first born daughter's and are full of beauty. They are aslo gracefull and from high up families. Bastien told me that are father was a well off man, but he worked for every penny he earned, he served a high ranking family in Italy and lived in a small village just outside of the town he worked for. That's my family history. My father, called Zayeus **(pronounced: Zay-ous)** so I'm told, only met my mother, Serapheena, because she was drawing the fountain outside the castle like building that he worked in. They met at midnight under the glow of a full moon. Confusing? My mother can see in the dark as clearly as if it were day.

When my mother told Master Henri about my invitation, he was only to pleased to see me go. He wasn't, however, pleased with the fact that I would be a higher member at court than he was. Master Henri, as I have said, is a cruel man. He is also your typical dark and handsome type. His hair is a dark chocolate brown and he has eyes to match. His face has a sort of square shape with prominent cheek bones. **(AN: Master Henri looks like Orlando Bloom in the Three Musketeers, just to make it a bit clearer) **He also dresses in the newest fashions as the money he inherited was able to afford it.

"We shall have to go a buy you a new dress and shoes for your presentation to King Charkes and Queen Catherine." Henri said under his breath.

I was used to wearing hand-me-downs from my sister, 'Why buy two lots of new clothes when the old ones can be passed down?' Master Henri would say if anyone were to object. I also get 'hand-me-downs' from my mother, or dresses that she would have made to my measurements 'accidently' so I could have a new dress to go to a ball in.

**Later that day**

Master Henri had ordered the finest dressmaker's and seamstresses he could find just for the occassion. They came with hundreds of choices of fabrics and designs, Henri even said that he would let me pick as he wasn't to knowledgeable on women's fashion and my mother was otherwise unavailable.

I chose a sky blue fabric that matched my eyes. It was to have a full skirt and rounded bodice to go along with the traditional dress fashion. The armsleeves went from my shoulder to my wrist, covering them like gloves, and were white. The over sleeves were somewhat trumpet like in shape. the top edging of my bodice was decorated in precious stone and jewels. **(AN:she does look more tudor like, but thats what I imagine Athenodora wearing, a type of timeless classic like girl.)**

Master Henri was now busy arranging a coach to take me to London. I would be in the city by the end of the week.


End file.
